As a seasoned moviegoer who’s witnessed the rise and fall of many a silver screen legend, I can confidently say that M. Night Shyamalan’s “Trap” is a film that, while not quite reaching the heights of his masterpieces, still manages to offer a unique and entertaining experience.
M. Night Shyamalan’s upcoming thriller “Trap” faces stiff competition, as it’s debuting alongside blockbusters such as the action-packed “Twisters” and the money-spinning Marvel duo, “Deadpool & Wolverine”. However, let’s hope that Shyamalan’s innovative work manages to find its audience, given its unique blend of fresh and engaging content from a director known for exploring grand original concepts in an industry often starved of them.
M. Night Shyamalan’s collection of films features both significant successes and occasional failures, but his unique touch is consistently present. Not all of his films succeed, yet when they do (and they frequently do, to varying extents), it feels like you’ve witnessed a cinematic experience unlike anything else playing at your neighborhood movie theater. “Trap” follows this pattern, albeit positioning itself somewhere between Shyamalan’s more impressive and less remarkable works.
The movie features Josh Hartnett, whose acting career saw a significant boost last year through Guy Ritchie’s action-packed “Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre” and Christopher Nolan’s critically acclaimed “Oppenheimer,” which won an Academy Award. It’s no wonder that he delivers a solid performance in “Trap.” In this film, Hartnett portrays Cooper, a seemingly ordinary father who treats his daughter Riley (Ariel Donoghue) to concert tickets for her favorite pop star, Lady Raven (Saleka Shyamalan). You could say he’s a strong contender for ‘Father of the Year’ in this story.
In the vibrant city of Philadelphia, our tale unfolds with Cooper and his daughter, Riley, en route to the stadium. During their journey, Cooper delights in Riley’s exuberance reminiscent of a Taylor Swift fan (a Swiftie), and this excitement escalates once they reach their seats. Soon enough, over 30,000 girls and their supervising parents are electrified by Lady Raven’s appearance, and the grand stage spectacle commences.
As a dedicated cinema enthusiast, let me share my thoughts on an intriguing twist in this movie: One of the film’s more outlandish yet entertaining moments unfolds when we discover that the entire concert is a cleverly devised trap by the police to capture a ruthless serial killer, infamously known as ‘The Butcher’. In no time, local and federal law enforcement officers flooded the arena, swiftly establishing a security perimeter. At the helm of this operation was Dr. Grant (Hayley Mills), an experienced profiler, meticulously covering every possible escape route while scanning the crowd for our suspect. To add fuel to the fire, within the first 15 minutes or so, we learn that Cooper is none other than ‘The Butcher’. So much for his attempts at being ‘Father of the Year’!
The narrative then shifts significantly towards an intense chess game between Cooper and the police officers, although they’re unaware of The Butcher’s true identity. However, they do know he’s attending the concert. Cooper becomes aware of their plan and must devise a strategy to evade capture without revealing himself. This secretive maneuvering unfolds while he maintains his disguise from his daughter, leading to numerous tense situations, some grimly amusing twists, and scenes that border on the implausible.
The cat-and-mouse game in the arena is the movie at its most diverting. But it’s somewhat shortchanged by Shyamalan’s heavy promotion of his daughter’s music (Saleka composed 14 original songs for the movie). The concert setting is brilliantly captured and strikingly authentic. And Saleka is certainly a talented musician. But Shyamalan’s focus on her ‘show within the show’ eats up time that could have went towards making things more thrilling and plausible. And later, both Saleka and the movie struggles once he thrusts her into an acting role.
The main issues with the movie seem to focus on its last half hour. Without giving anything away, the plot takes some unexpectedly predictable turns which weakens the thriller aspect as it progresses. However, the movie has a distinct Hitchcock-like feel and Josh Hartnett delivers an exceptional performance in his intense character. Unfortunately, the script’s inconsistencies are what hinders the film.
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2024-08-02 17:56